Education on St Helena: ‘Teachers can earn more as cleaners’ (updated 10 April 2012)

Educational standards are too low on St Helena and the outlook for jobs is ‘bleak’ if there is not a radical change of culture – not just in the schools. That’s according to an official report. Staff are rising to the “huge task”, says departing education director John Sullivan, but they need the support of the whole community. Read the blunt facts here.

Is it all bad? Do you have inspiring stories to share? Is it just a question of culture? Please share your views using the form below. Your comments so far:

This is very sad to hear as over the years St Helena has had very good Saint teachers, but they have left the profession to go abroad and work as stewards, cleaners, etc because they get paid more money doing these jobs. I spent nearly two years on St Helena working as a nursery assistant but left to take up employment on the Falklands in the 80’s as a club assistant, which paid me three times more than working on the Education Department on St Helena. Sadly 20+ years and things have not changed. It is so unfair for the St Helena people as they get paid pittance compared to the ex-pat who gets hired to do a job on St Helena, whether it is educational, medical etc, they get paid UK wages and used to receive free holidays back to the UK, free housing, and free water and electricity. It would be interesting to know if this still happens? When you think about it, Britain is still treating us who are British Citizens like slaves… after all Saints do the job just as good as them and sometimes even better but who gets the benefits? Not our Saints! Therefore can you blame us for leaving the island? We are still slaves there as far as the government is concerned… maybe that is what the British government want so they can move in there and have the good life on St Helena. As for some of our councillors, it makes you wonder who they are there for! They seem to forget they get elected by the people of St Helena and are there to fight for the PEOPLE OF ST HELENA!!!

Natasha Stroud, UK

Let’s hope St Helena teachers don’t get pushed out, or less St Helena people have the opportunity to go into teaching. It would be a shame. Let’s hope there is more teacher training to the UK standard for our Saints.